The championship bout between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Andrei Mikhailovich has been rescheduled for October 4. The world title clash takes place at The Star in Sydney, Australia. The contest pits the undefeated champion of Kazakhstan against the unbeaten challenger of New Zealand.
The pair was originally slotted to battle it out atop the Top Rank card in Las Vegas in July. The matchup fell off a day before the fight show, after the champion fainted cutting weight.
Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) goes through the ropes for the first time since last October, when he stopped Vincenzo Gualtieri in the sixth round and unified the IBF and WBO middleweight belts. Making his first ring appearance in the ring in Australia as a pro, the 31-year-old southpaw of Kazakhstan puts his IBF 160 lbs title on the line.
“In the Olympic Games in Sydney, two Kazakh boxers won gold. Bekzat Sattarhanov and Yermakhan Ibraimov inspired many Kazakhs,” Alimkhanuly said. “I grew up with a dream to glorify my country like them. I am very happy that I will box in Sydney. I want to show the world my flag in Sydney once again, as our Olympic champions did in 2000.”
“The fight with Andrei is very important to me because he is an official contender for my title. He is like a cloud for me now. I must quickly get rid of the cloud to see the sun. Everyone knows and understands that he is easy work for me. I will knock him out very quickly!”
Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs) is coming off the win by TKO in the first round against Les Sherrington. The Auckland, New Zealand-based 26-year-old challenger makes his first attempt to become champion.
“I live in the present, but I certainly haven’t forgotten the past,” Mikhailovich said. “I respect him as the champion, but I know that he doesn’t respect me. It’s why I look forward to taking absolutely everything from him.”
“I will be writing my name into the history books alongside Joseph Parker and Maselino Masoe as a world champion. This is my destiny, it’s my everything. I will stop at nothing to make sure the world remembers the name Andrei Mikhailovich.”
The bouts featured on the Janibek vs Mikhailovich undercard are expected to be confirmed shortly.